Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)C
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeUNOPS LICA4
Target Start Date2024-01-15
Job Posting End DateJanuary 9, 2024
Terms of ReferenceTitle: Protection Assistant
Project: UNHCR โ Protection of Refugees in Ecuador
Duty station: Field Unit Esmeraldas, Ecuador
Section/Unit: Field Unit Esmeraldas
Contract/Level: Local Support, LICA 4
Duration: From 15 January to December 2024
Supervisor: Head Of Field Office
1. General Background
Ecuador is part of the United Nations Convention of 1951 relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, as well as major international and regional human rights instruments that recognize the right to asylum. It is also part of the United Nations Convention of 1954 relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the United Nations Convention of 1961 on the Reduction of Statelessness. The asylum procedure in Ecuador is regulated by the Organic Law of Human Mobility, effective February 6, 2017.
Ecuador is a country of transit and destination for people who need international protection. In the last two decades, Ecuador hosted more than 68,708 recognized refugees (mainly Colombian) and has become one of the
leading countries of transit and destination for refugees and migrants Venezuelans. Ecuador receives the second highest number of Venezuelans after Colombia. Since 2016, more than 4.7 million Venezuelans have left their country, making it the biggest exodus in the history of Latin America. Of these, 2.2 million have entered Ecuador, of which 400,000 Venezuelans have been established in the country.
In 2019, approximately 2,100 Venezuelans per day entered Ecuador (with peaks of 6,000) until 26 August, when Ecuador began requiring visas for Venezuelans. Since 2018, the number of Venezuelan asylum seekers exceeded the number of asylum seekers from Colombia. According to monitoring protection of UNHCR, in 2019, nearly four out of ten Venezuelans did to the least part of their journey on foot, and three in ten have specific needs (pregnant
women, unaccompanied or separated children, people with disabilities or catastrophic and elderly diseases).
Esmeraldas is a province located in northwestern Ecuador bordering southern Colombia. The province suffers from entrenched economic and security challenges, and residents often lack access to basic services.
The UNHCR Field Office in Esmeraldas opened in 2008 to protect Colombian refugees fleeing to the northern border province of Ecuador, mainly from southern Nariรฑo. Colombian refugees are continuously fleeing to Esmeraldas given the security situation caused by territorial disputes in the south of Nariรฑo linked to the FARC's demobilization after the 2016 peace agreement.
The population of Venezuelan refugees and asylum seekers has also steadily increased in Esmeraldas as Ecuador has become both a major destination as well as a transit country for Venezuelans in need of international protection.
The operation of UNHCR in Ecuador has a multiyear Protection Strategy and Solutions, which encompasses the dimensions of the legal, economic, and social protection of refugees in Ecuador and which have a decisive role the approaches to gender, ethnicity, and age and other diversities.
2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment
The Protection Assistant normally reports to Head of Field Office, and will be in charge of the assistance, management and referral of cases of persons identified as in need of protection in GBV and childhood.
(Or) The protection assistant will be responsible for the care, management, and referral of cases of persons identified with specific protection needs, women survivors of gender-based violence, unaccompanied children, separated children and children in need of alternative care. In addition, it will have to accompany cases with protection NEPs referred to the local protection system to guarantee access to rights.
The incumbent provides functional and administrative support to the protection unit on protection related liaison, correspondence, monitoring, case management and reporting activities.
The Protection Assistant also supports the protection unit in designing a comprehensive protection strategy and in providing quality, timely and effective protection responses to persons of concern (PoC). S/he may
liaise externally with local authorities and partners on correspondence and/or protection issues as guided by the supervisor.
The Protection Assistant also facilitates the involvement of forcibly displaced and stateless people in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with
communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners.
Duties:
- Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards, and codes of conduct.
- Observe and respect protection related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Provide functional and administrative support in all protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Provide functional and administrative support in implementing participatory approaches, needs assessments, monitoring, reporting and case management.
- Identify, assist, and manage cases of people with protection NEP, especially women survivors of GBV and children at risk.
- Ensure that people identified with NEP have opportune access to the attention of the local system for the protection of rights and be updated on the paths of attention.
- Develop an accompaniment plan for people identified with NEP.
- Maintain an adequate relationship with local authorities, partners, key actors and strengthen the local rights protection system for the effective assistance of persons by and for whom UNHCR works.
- Develop methodologies for the individual and group support of people for whom UNHCR works in coordination with local partners and actors.
- Assist in drafting reports, routine correspondence, updating relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
- Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners.
- Perform other related duties as required.
- Support implementing and operational partners as well as displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organizational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to GBV.
- Assist in working with host communities to involve national civil society groups in improving the protection of forcibly displaced and stateless people.
- Assist in the analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
- Ensure community understanding of UNHCR's commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
- Perform protection interviews.
- Perform other related duties as required.
3. Monitoring and Progress Controls
- Compliance and reporting of weekly and monthly monitoring activities.
- Case management, using the ProGres database.
- Reports on field visits and activities to strengthen protection networks.
- File notes of relevant meetings, workshops, and events.
- Preparation of reports.
- Periodic entry of the cases attended in the ProGres database.
4. Qualifications and Experience
a. Education
- University Degree (4 years) in Law, Social Sciences, Social Work, Psychology or any other related field.
b. Work Experience
- 1 year relevant experience with High School Diploma; or Bachelor or equivalent or higher
- Work experience in case management.
- Work experience with social organizations, public sector institutions and / or international organizations will be an advantage.
- Experience with the refugee population or groups in a situation of vulnerability.
c. Key Competencies
- Ability to work in difficult conditions and under stress.
- Ability to work within an international and multicultural environment.
- Ability to work with individuals in vulnerable situations.
- Willingness to work in emergency situations.
- Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information in a professional manner.
- Availability to mobilize at the community level and other cities.
- Computer skills: Word, Excel, internet.
Functional Skills
- IT-Computer Literacy
- CL-Protection & Solutions Awareness
- PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
- PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
Core Competencies
- Accountability
- Communication
- Organizational Awareness
- Teamwork & Collaboration
- Commitment to Continuous Learning
- Client & Result Orientation
Cross-Functional Competencies
- Analytical Thinking
- Political Awareness
- Stakeholder Management
5. Submission of applications
5. Submission of applications
A. English Desirable. (B2 Level)
B. The shortlisted candidates may sit a technical examination.
C. Foreign candidates, to be considered eligible for this position, must have a temporary or permanent residence in Ecuador that allows them to carry out work activities in the country.
D. If hired, the candidate must submit a current and updated RUC Unique Taxpayer Registry and a voluntary contribution certificate to the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security IESS. Voluntary IESS securities will be covered by the staff member.
E. If you wish to be considered for this vacancy, please submit your application according to the following instructions:
- CANDIDATOS CON ACCESO AL SISTEMA WORKDAY: Para poder aplicar, primero debe crear su perfil en el sistema WORKDAY. Y aplicar a travรฉs de la opciรณn de career.
- CANIDATOS EXTERNOS: Los candidatos que NO tienen acceso al Sistema de WORKDAY, deben enviar sus aplicaciones como candidatos externos en el portal oficial de trabajo del ACNUR: https://www.unhcr.org/careers.html (o ingresar a la ruta: www.unhcr.org / careers / vacancies / (buscar paรญs y vacante)
NOTE
UNHCR is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.
UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).
If you are a person with a disability and need additional assistance during the application and/or recruitment process, please contact us by email: ecuquhr@unhcr.org
CVs WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED BY EMAIL. ONLY THOSE APPLICATIONS SENT BY THE SYSTEM WILL BE CONSIDERED.
Standard Job Description
Protection Assistant
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Protection Assistant normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague. The incumbent provides functional and administrative support to the protection unit on protection related liaison, correspondence, monitoring, case management and reporting activities.
The Protection Assistant also supports the protection unit in designing a comprehensive protection strategy and in providing quality, timely and effective protection responses to persons of concern (PoC). S/he may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on correspondence and/or protection issues as guided by the supervisor.
The Protection Assistant also facilitates the involvement of PoC in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners.
All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.
Duties
- Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
- Observe and respect protection related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Provide functional and administrative support in all protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Provide functional and administrative support in implementing participatory approaches, needs assessments, monitoring, reporting and case management.
- Support assessments on durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
- Facilitate liaison with competent authorities for the issuance of personal and other relevant documents.
- Assist in drafting reports, routine correspondence, updating relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
- Select PoC for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share.
- Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners.
- Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
- Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For G4 - 1 year relevant experience with High School Diploma; or Bachelor or equivalent or higher
Field(s) of Education
Not applicable
Certificates and/or Licenses
Protection
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Relevant Job Experience
Essential: Not specified.
Desirable: Not specified.
Functional Skills
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
IT-Computer Literacy
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.
All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.
As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.
This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.
Required Languages
,
,
Desired Languages
,
,
Additional Qualifications
SkillsIT-Computer Literacy, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators, PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
Education
CertificationsHCR Learning Program - UNHCR, HCR Protection Induction Prog - UNHCR, HCR Protection Learning Program Statelessness - UNHCR, HCR Protection Learning Program - UNHCR, HCR Thematic Protection Learning Program - UNHCR
Work Experience
Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance